Feeling at Home

It's the first day of October. Wow. Time has flown by. It is warming up here in Trujillo. But, the mornings are still kinda cold, and yesterday it was just plain cold all day long. So, I guess we are slowly moving into Spring, but warmer weather is on the way. I can't wait to spend more time on the beach on the weekends!

So, I woke up this morning in Trujillo, Peru and I felt at home. I don't know really why I can feel so at home here, because in so many ways I am still a stranger in this city. I still can't walk down the street without being stared at or whistled at because I'm white. At least several times a day someone will inevitably ask me in their very broken English where I am from. And, I definitely still can't communicate very well in Spanish. But, I think the feeling of homeness comes from the wonderful way the Peruvians from church have gathered us interns into to their hearts and call us friends, or the way my students kiss me on the cheek good-bye at the end of class, or the way these streets have become familiar. But, maybe it's really just that God has been giving me more and more of His love for these people and this city. In any case, I am glad to be more settled here and to be enjoying all that it means to live in this strange city.

I'll leave you with a picture of one of my new favorite things about living in Trujillo. Just about on every corner you can find a lady with a small cart full of oranges with a few pineapples thrown in and a juice press. And, for one solitary sole (30 u.s. cents) you can buy fresh squeezed juice. It's called zumo in Spanish. She pours it into a little plastic bolsa, ties the bag around a straw, and hands it over. Wonderful. I've never tasted juice this good before in my life!

Me with a bag of zumo at my usual spot at the Peru Mission office